It is common practice to protect documents and other items such as cards by encasing them in clear plastic coverings. Various products known as protectors are available for this purpose. Another common way of protecting documents and similar items is to laminate them. Lamination involves sealing the document or item between oppositely applied transparent films and lamination is commonly applied to such items as driver's licenses, identification cards, membership cards and the like.
Another operation that is often applied to documents and papers is that of adhesive transfer. Adhesive transfer is an operation that is used to make articles such as labels and stickers. One manner of producing such labels is to print the labels on blanks provided for this purpose. The blanks generally have an adhesive backing and are secured to a liner from which they may be peeled at the time of use. Computer systems are available that have the capability of printing labels on liner label stock provided for this purpose. This manner of making labels or stickers is expensive and further is limiting in that the printed material must be adapted to the physical size or confines of the label or sticker carried on the liner. This limits the information and creativity that may be incorporated in label making.
Based on the foregoing, there exists a need for a simple multi-purpose apparatus which can both serve to apply laminates to documents and papers and which will also serve to apply adhesive, including dry adhesives, to materials of various sizes so a wide variety of labels and stickers may be produced. The apparatus of the present invention can apply clear plastic laminates to master substrates of various sizes and can also transfer adhesive to substrates of various sizes not being limited by length. Adhesive transfer can be applied to either surface of the item as required. The apparatus can also apply dry adhesives from double sided release coated liners to a substrate.